Paper Doll Waltz
by PRlNCE
Summary: Unusual is the snow that has layered itself around the barracks, but even more so is the curious warmth residing in a pair of frigid eyes. It seems to be meant for the young man of impressive intellect who continuously finds himself in her company — and continuously remains.


Like chilled dust, meticulously woven together in intricate patterns, the snowflakes parted from the night sky and descended in a gentle assault towards the ground below. If one took the time to watch, it was a gorgeous mess of frozen water art colliding with each other and merging before turning into a blanket of cold.

A lone pair of boots pressed against virgin snow, their pensive owner turning frozen crystals into tiny droplets as they settled on his eyelids. They twitched once, then again as another perched on the very tip of his eyelashes, causing him to blink and rub his eyes. He was forced to squint when lifting his head to observe the star draped heavens, moving one hand to shield clear blue orbs of solemn curiosity.

The others were all asleep by now, surely. But something had compelled Armin to slip out – careful not to trip over a leg, whose owner must have dreamt vividly to have fallen so far away from his bed – and after exposing himself to the chill of the night air he hadn't thought of returning just yet. His beckoning covers promised warmth, but what he had seen after pushing the door open had removed all such thoughts. Unless Armin and every one of his fellow trainees had been placed in some manner of hibernation for several months , it was snowing in summer. The world certainly had its way of contorting nature's routine from time to time, but this was unheard of. It was midsummer, and for snow to be falling at this time of year was hardly plausible. But, all rationalizing aside, it was amazing. Armin was puzzled as to what the cause could be, scrutinizing the source above for an answer as if it was the heavens' to give.

It _was _lovely, and Armin would've loved to stay more if only for the utter silence of a snow-covered environment, but if he remained outside at this time of night for too long, he could get into trouble. It simply wasn't in his character to invite the possibility without good reason, so he turned heel and began a slow march back to the barracks. The cold masses of white powder crunched beneath his feet, stirring a flutter in Armin's chest, but he decided against feeding that playful feeling and only felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. He complied, only slightly, by kicking up some snow with his foot. At that very moment, a wind passed through, tugging at his hair and attire – consisting of his entire uniform minus the gear straps, still plenty cold – and it grabbed hold of the snow, throwing it straight into his face and causing him to lose the only balance his left foot could provide.

The snow cushioned his fall, and the blow to Armin's rear didn't hurt so much as it was freezing. He inhaled through his teeth at the immense chill and was just about to pull himself back up when he spotted something through his view upside-down. Turning over on his stomach, the blonde squinted through the misty air, but whatever it had been was gone now. Several possibilities connected with his mind maps like tiny threads one couldn't possibly trace to their origins if one wasn't Armin himself. His face spoke nothing of the labyrinthine system, nor the disarray his confusion caused. Better to get up, brush oneself off, and head back. But to be sure, Armin dipped his head around a few corners, in case he had been right to believe it was a person.

His search turned up nothing, so Armin took this chance to return to the comfort of his bed before it would be too late – or early – to seek it.

The next morning, Armin was reminded of the state of his surroundings by the gasps and yells of astonishment around him. Several of the other trainees were watching in awe at the transformation outside, while some others were shoving each other into the snow and having a blast, ignoring the impossibility of it all. Some things you simply accepted.

Just as Armin stepped outside into a view that, for all he had known, could've been a dream last night, he had to evade an oncoming snowball, but just barely made it miss his face and it hit his shoulder instead. Armin whipped his head to the sides to find the source of the throw while brushing the remainder of the ball off his jacket. But before he'd been given a chance to retaliate, or even find the person, an arm swung beside him and another snowball hit its mark – straight into Connie Springer's chest. Armin recognized the arm as Mikasa's, and had to chuckle at the fact that she'd seek out and punish poor Connie just for a snowball. It'd been quite a powerful throw, judging by the arc of her delivery, and Connie was already objecting to the use of her skills in such a way. It was hard to think of it as a complaint when he was clearly laughing at himself, however.

"Besides, it wasn't me", he continued on, after telling Mikasa how much ice had been lodged into his chest. "It was Jean."

Armin raised a brow to this claim and glanced towards an offended Jean a few steps away, showing Connie to place the blame on him by striking him with another snowball. It didn't take long for everyone to get caught up in the onslaught, except a select few who decided to remain on the sidelines. Armin ended up laughing and cheering on people together with Marco, Reiner and Bertholdt, but soon, the latter two were pulled into it after an unconvincing taunt. It was such a joy to witness everyone having fun together and forgetting about everything that pain was – save for a lump of ice being smashed into your behind, courtesy of Eren's bad humor. Armin was sure Jean would hunt him for the rest of the day, just because of that.

A presence appeared in the corner of Armin's eye, just as he was wiping it from the tears that begun to form after so much laughing, and he turned. Nothing. This time he was absolutely sure he had seen someone, and they were much closer this time.

"Don't get hit", he told Marco before slipping away to find out, hearing "I think they're too busy not getting hit to hit me", in response and giggling silently to himself.

The blonde made it around the corner and expected to find no one, just like that magical night, but stopped in his tracks to find a familiar face watching the not completely snowed-over footsteps from before. It was Annie, her frame powerful and exuding an air of solitude as she crouched by herself on the snow. If she had noticed Armin emerge from around the corner, she in no manner gave it away. Even still, Armin felt strange calling out to her, and simply watched, subtle details about her somehow only coming into view with the blinding white surrounding her. Like the frigid blue of her eyes, and how they looked concentrated yet disinterested. Apathetic, yet not. There was warmth in that raw intensity, but it was not for him.

"What", she finally said, as if waiting all this time for Armin to say something. Her tone was monotonous, but strong. It whispered of self-control one could rarely attain without loss. But Armin had to reprimand himself. For digging too deeply into the thoughts she stirred within him. It wasn't his right. It was a word, and nothing more.

Suddenly he didn't know why he had followed.

"Ah, no… It's just…" he started, relinquishing his voice after only a few words. "You don't want to join the others?"

It wasn't a good question, and one Armin knew the answer to. He knew she was aware he did too. It wasn't the first time they'd spoken one on one, after all.

He wasn't sure when it had begun. But while finding Annie on her own, seeking the company of no one, was a habit to the others by now, Armin often ended up in her presence whether he sought it out or not. Had it been someone else, he might have thought they'd waited in places he frequented just to meet him – which was, in itself, hardly an option on anyone's mind. So naturally, it was a coincidence, but one he didn't feel compelled to ignore. There she was, shrouded in mystery, watching the prints he had left the other night and not quite withdrawing from his company either – which she had never done on earlier occasions either, unless probed. And Armin could have just believed this was like any other moment, leaving the two to their own thoughts and silence, only together. But the circumstance led him to believe he had indeed spotted someone that night.

"You were out here last night, weren't you?" he inquired, approaching the subject with a careful gentleness.

"Yes, that was me."

Armin could sense a "what of it" not far behind, so he contemplated whether he should keep pursuing it or just let this be another moment of silence. He decided against his better judgement.

"Why do you think the snow came now?" he asked.

"Who knows…" Annie breathed, looking up at the naked sky. The curve of her nose and her nicely-sculpted jawline looked very aesthetically pleasing in profile.

Armin was used to the lack of invitation in her words, but even still, it didn't feel right to stand there, and so he perched down beside her, propping his knees up against his chest to protect himself from the cold. As if prompted, a shiver ran through him. Annie shot him a glance, but little else. It looked sympathetic, or perhaps that was only his imagination.

They both sat there for a while, listening to each others' breathing, only looking up as Mina's body slid through the snow and came into view.

"Heeeey!" she shouted before getting back up, the roar of a snow warrior bellowing from her petite frame as she ran towards her enemies.

"Everyone's really enjoying this anomaly, though", Armin said, some fascination reserved for their spirit. "Just wait until they get yelled at."

Annie didn't answer, but he could feel her eyes on him.

Speaking of getting yelled at, it was probably best to get back. Armin brushed the snow off his legs and pressed one hand against the wall behind them, needing to kick some warmth into his limbs in order to stand up. But simply placing a heel back on the ground caused it to slip beneath him and Armin lost all balance.

He never hit the ground, but his head bumped into the wall and produced some major dizziness before he could register what he was doing above ground. That was when he felt the hand pressed against his back. It was cold, firm. Another came into contact with his leg and placed it back on the ice that had been hiding beneath the snow cover.

"Steadier this time", said Annie, her face in close proximity but still remaining worlds apart.

Armin nodded, bewildered and bereft of speech until he was back on the ground.

"Thanks…" he said, cursing himself for not showing nearly enough gratitude. "You didn't have to do that."

"That's right. I didn't."

She turned. Walked away. To where, Armin didn't have the capacity to ask. But there remained the feeling of following her, until he forced himself in the other direction. Even as she was gone from sight, however, Armin kept looking despite the direction in which he was headed.


End file.
